1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to humidifiers, and, more particularly, to a capacity indicator for indicating the amount of fluid contained in a humidifier bottle.
2. Description of Related Art
Humidifiers are commonly used in homes to add moisture to the air, particularly during the winter months, when the air typically has low moisture content. The added moisture content in the air during these dry, cold weather months provides for a more comfortable environment within the home. As a result, humidifiers have become a popular, inexpensive means for achieving optimal air moisture content within the home environment.
One difficulty commonly encountered with humidifiers, however, is the inability to determine the water level of a humidifier bottle with relative ease. Some humidifiers have an elongated clear plastic strip (i.e., a window) on their side such that one can view the bottle compartment of the humidifier. Typically, an individual will rely on direct visual sighting of the bottle""s water level through this clear plastic strip to determine the amount of water contained therein. Since many humidifiers are compact in size and are placed on the floor, such viewing of the water level typically requires one to bend down to view the plastic strip of the humidifier. Viewing the water level within close proximity to the humidifier is generally needed since water is colorless, and it is often difficult to ascertain such water level at a distance. Thus, the action of bending down to the humidifier can be inconvenient.
Previous methods may also require that the user open the unit, lift up the bottle, and estimate how much water remains in the bottle. If the unit has more than one bottle, this procedure would have to be repeated for the other bottle.
Furthermore, users of humidifiers want an easy way to identify how full the humidifier is and not just when the bottle is empty. As well users desire a way of visualizing the amount of water in each of the bottles, without having to physically interface with the unit at all. Use of an illuminated capacity indicator could provide indication of the amount of water in the bottle of a humidifier from a substantial distance or even within a dark room.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.
In one aspect of the present invention, a humidifier includes a reservoir for containing water, a wick wettable by water contained in the reservoir and a humidifier bottle for supplying water to the reservoir. The bottle is pivotally situated in the humidifier and a translating member is responsive to the angular movement of the humidifier bottle. The translating member includes a visual indicator thereon to indicate the amount of water contained in the bottle. A biasing member cooperates with the translating member to situate the humidifier bottle in a first angular position in response to the bottle being empty, such that the bottle is displaced from the first angular position within the receptacle when the bottle contains water. The translating member may, for example, be situated to move laterally and/or rotationally in response to the pivotal movement of the bottle. The amount of angular displacement of the bottle is a function of the amount of water in the bottle.
The humidifier may include a display opening or window in the humidifier""s cabinet such that the visual indicator of the translating member is visible therethrough. In certain exemplary embodiments, a light source is provided to illuminate portions of the display window in response to the movement of the translating member.